


Seaside

by Homosexy



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Hints of Smut, Random - Freeform, bechloe - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-29
Updated: 2015-08-29
Packaged: 2018-04-17 20:48:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4680989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Homosexy/pseuds/Homosexy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Beca's DJ-ing in Miami, Chloe's working with kids in Atlanta. Some connections never die.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Seaside

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not actually sure what this fic is. It was just born out of me starting to write and became just over 6.5k words of stuff. I hope you enjoy this!

The faded sounds of 3am are the most exciting thing happening. Beca doesn’t want to sleep though. She can’t place why, but it isn’t like she’s tired, or has anything to do in the morning. Sighing, she shifts on her bed, rolling over for the fourth time that minute. The glow of a streetlight vaguely filters through her curtains, rendering the room not totally pitch black. Strings of sensations are starting to overrun her mind; the feeling of needing to wash your hair, being uncomfortable even though the temperature is just fine, being simultaneous restless and apathetic.

So, pretty usual for 3am.

She’s tried her laptop and phone a million times over, each time met by the same conclusion of boredom. The glaring light of the screen doesn’t bother her, can’t after the years she’s become used to it. Still, she opens up her MacBook with a resiliency to try and find something to occupy her attention other than all the not-quite-rights. Social media is pretty much dead, even her friends who are on West Coast (Beca’s current residency is in Florida. She’s renting while her DJ jobs on the Miami scene keep coming). Though, she reasons, it’s still basically midnight where they are anyway. After a fruitless scroll through YouTube and everything else she would usually spend time on, Beca opens up her music. 3am can sometimes be her creativity time, when she has off-the-wall ideas for mixes that usually turn out to be pretty good, despite the song combinations being unlikely and confusing. But it’s 3:17 and she’s getting nothing. No inspiration, no flashes of “holy shit” or whatever stupid expression she’d probably use. Then she notices a smudge of what’s probably coffee on the trackpad. A momentary distraction, but one she’ll gladly take. Scrunching a corner of the duvet in one hand, Beca gently rubs at it. After debating how gross it would be, she reluctantly adds her own saliva to the mix and the faded mark finally shifts. She’ll have to clean it again when she actually has stuff to clean with on her. A discontented huff escapes her lips when she notices that she’s accidentally started up about four windows. Carelessly, she shuts down Photobooth, Moviemaker and Photoshop.

The fourth program is skype. Beca barely ever uses it, except for occasional calls to catch up with her friends. If they were here, she’d probably be drunk and revealing more secrets than her sober self would like to. Yet she’d rather that would be happening. It’s kind of weird, how much she misses these people who she basically became friends with on accident.

The lingering saliva stain on her duvet gives her a sudden urge to brush her teeth. Reluctantly, Beca leaves the comfort of her bed, heads to her bathroom with its harsh light. Glancing in the mirror, it’s clear how much of a mess she is. It’s partially down to the light. Her complexion probably doesn’t actually look that unhealthy. But her bedhead, that mess isn’t being exaggerated. She glares at it as she brushes her teeth, looking at her reflection for as long as she is physically comfortable for. Beca’s already brushed her teeth. She just felt like she needed to clean her mouth a little. So she doesn’t stay in the bathroom for long. Simply makes quick work of it before heading back to her bed.

She returns to a little orange “1” on the skype icon. Beca could have sworn she set her status to invisible, but it does have a tendency to change without her input. She sighs. Worst case scenario, it’s her dad. Opening up the window, Beca’s spirit almost lifts. It’s Chloe. That’s a damn sight better than her dad

[3:21] Chloe: Hey ;)

[3:21] Chloe: Can’t sleep?

Beca smiles at her laptop. Of all the weirdos, it’s impossible that she wouldn’t miss this one. Because it’s kind of Chloe’s fault that she has so many weirdos to miss. Not to mention, Chloe is probably the strangest of them all.   
  
[3:22] Becs: You’re psychic, Beale  
  
[3:22] Becs: Anyway, you’re in Atlanta, so it’s totally fuck-off time for you too

[3:22] Chloe: Maybeeeee

[3:23] Chloe: How’s Miami?

That’s a good question. Her DJ schedule is incredibly hectic. She came out here because she had essentially a month’s worth of jobs lined up. Every night she plays gives her a thrill, but it’s taxing. Not to mention, she has no responsibilities during the day, so it’s murdering any semblance of a sleep cycle.

[3:24] Becs: Busy. Think I’ve broken my body clock

[3:24] Chloe: pshhht, you never had one

[3:24] Chloe: still, I bet you’re making the club scene your bitch

[3:25] Becs: My aca-bitch

It was too tempting. Besides, it’s practically habit to say that now

[3:25] Chloe: I bet

[3:25] Chloe: Wanna call?

Beca considers this one for a while. It would be nice to see Chloe’s face. She misses her so much it’s inexplicable. With a pang, Beca realises she really wants Chloe to be with her right now. So, maybe she’s been lowkey falling for Chloe for a long time. Since getting in Miami, Beca’s had a few hook ups. Only girls though. Which is unusual for her, since if someone’s hot she’ll take it. Maybe there’s been an absence of attractive guys, or maybe she’s developing a preference.

Why is she even thinking about this? She’d made the decision long ago to not bother with labelling her sexuality. It was too much hassle as far as she was concerned, she’d rather turn up with a girlfriend and just let people deal with it if they had to. But that’s always been her style. Don’t make a fuss. Don’t make a scene.  
  
With a jolt, Beca realised she’s been lost in her own mind for 5 minutes

[3:30] Becs: Sure!

[3:31] Incoming call from Chloe Beale

“Heyy” Beca hears Chloe’s voice before the camera starts to work and she finally sees her face, “Your camera okay?”  
“Oh shit, let me get the lights” Beca scrambles to get to the light switch. She can hear Chloe laughing as she makes her way back to her laptop. Chloe’s laugh is warm and familiar  
“There we go” the redhead smiles as she sweeps a few strands away from her face, “Finally get to see your cute face” Other than a slight blush that she would repress if it wasn’t such a ridiculous time, Beca acts like Chloe just said hi  
“So, how’s life?” Beca asks, unconsciously scratching her collarbone before dropping her hand to adjust her laptop  
“Pretty good” Chloe smiles before launching into an anecdote. The way she tells a story enthrals Beca. It’s obvious, from the facial expressions and the way her eyes change, how much Chloe wants to tell it because she wants to share this amazing thing with someone else. It’s not long before Beca is smiling more softly than she should be comfortable with, giggling as Chloe does her best pre-schooler voice.  
“Glad I don’t work with kids, dunno how you do it” Beca says when Chloe finishes her tale of how two small boys had an argument over Superman’s hobbies, that Chloe had to break apart by saying that seeing as he’s superman, he could obviously be great at both horse riding and ballet if he wanted to  
“It’s honestly lovely” Chloe’s eyes light up, “I really love it. And once I’ve done my teaching course, I can teach music”  
“If anyone can, it’s you” Beca’s a little embarrassed, but the camera quality is too poor to show it in the dim light.   
“Anyway, I want to hear about Miami” Chloe shifts excitedly, “I bet you’ve been to lots of cool parties”  
“A few” Beca shrugs, “Only a few really stood out and that was mostly because of the location”  
“Been DJ-ing at mansions, huh?” Chloe winks and for just a second, Beca could believe her heart has grown wings and begun to flutter like a baby bird that can’t quite fly yet  
“No” Beca would smile, but she’s been grinning solidly since the call started and it’s impossible to start smiling when you already are, “But one of the places was this really cool club”  
“Tell me about it” Chloe insists  
“Well, it was all old on the outside. The inside was mostly modern but the wall was still stone brick just like the outside. But at the same time, there were all these leafy plants and a couple of mini fountains. The building was famous for some reason, but I don’t remember why”  
“When you make it big, every building that’s had you play in it will be famous” Chloe muses, like it’s just a truth to be accepted  
“ _If_ I make it Chlo” Beca laughs a little. She always has this argument with Chloe, who’s determined of her success beyond what seems reasonable.

The conversation drifts through to popular culture and beyond. By the time they’re discussing alligators, Beca’s amazed. How did they even get to this conversation, where Chloe is fawning over pictures of baby reptiles on her phone and showing them to Beca? Through a haze of oncoming sleepiness, Beca has to admit that they are pretty cute.   
“Adorable, Chlo”  
“I know right!” Chloe squeaks, “And don’t even get me started on crested geckos, give me a minute Becs”  
“I meant you”

The words fall out of her mouth and an awake part of Beca recognises she has just done something she cannot reverse. This is why she doesn’t skype people she likes at 4:30 in the morning. But all her judgements are distorting into inadvisable territory, so the oh-fuck feeling is very small. One that she’s aware enough of to know she will probably freak out about this in ten or so hours, when she’s had some sleep.  
“Awww thanks Becs” Chloe smiles sweetly. It’s a smile that could floor Beca it makes her so weak at the knees. Seeing the surprise that Chloe has every time she’s complimented. Which is weird, because there’s so much to like about Chloe Beale. From her blue eyes to her smile to her belief that there is good in every person. Beca would be surprised if that girl didn’t get twenty compliments a day, at least. And if Chloe doesn’t, Beca would happily up that total for her  
“Well it’s true” she mutters a little sheepishly. Just because she isn’t regretting this yet doesn’t mean she’s not embarrassed.

 

* * *

 

 

Beca awakes at 1pm and the first thing she remembers is how the rest of her and Chloe’s conversation went. She’s glad it wasn’t in chat; if anyone found it she’d probably skin them. Or herself. Did she really say all that? Well, fuck. The game’s clearly been given away now.

At 4pm, her phone buzzes in her pocket

_Snapchat from chlobealee_

There’s a pang of anxiety as Beca unlocks her phone. A pause, between seeing the app and actually opening it. And another, before opening the message. It’s a picture. Chloe’s taken a selfie, at Starbucks of course, and it’s captioned with “How’s my favourite DJ?” It’s only a stone’s throw from their usual dialogue, but Beca’s very aware that something has changed since their skype call. At this point, she doesn’t know if she made a successful mistake, or a terrible one. Most of her life has been a trail of mistakes. Some of them worked out well, like singing in a campus shower (it was public, she should have expected at least a comment. Sure, she got a lot more than that but who even sings in public showers?). Some of them didn’t, like asking out the guy she liked in 7th grade.

Beca takes her own selfie, right with her mug of coffee. “Possibly hyper” is what she decides to type, because it’s more than just the coffee. There’s extra meaning behind those words that she hopes Chloe can pick out.

_chlobealee is typing…_

A bolt of energy hits Beca that has very little to do with caffeine. She taps her fingers on the counter, creating a rhythm. Just like she does every time she’s nervous. It feels silly to get worked up over a message on her phone. The end of 67 seconds doesn’t come soon enough for Beca, but she practically jumps on her phone

_Did you just get up?!_

Beca grins. Trust Chloe to still have hope that she can function like most humans

_I’ve been up for three hours, actually. I need my beauty sleep_

The moment she sends the message, Beca realises that it’s practically inviting a flirtatious comment. Chloe’s never let her down yet and her record still stands:

_I don’t think you do, Mitchell. You might be tiny, but those looks pack as much of a punch as you do  
You are killing it in Miami aren’t you?_

Before Beca can come up with a response, Chloe’s started typing again

_Speaking of which, I’ve got a free week coming up. Are you free? If so, I wanna come visit_

Her heart’s thudding.  Chloe wants to come and visit her. In Miami.   
  
_My days are always free. I’ve got two gigs, so my nights probably will be too_

Immediately, Chloe starts to reply  
  
_Are you suggesting something ;)_

It hadn’t even occurred to Beca what it sounded like she was saying. How is she supposed to respond to that? She can’t turn it into a joke, mainly because nothing’s coming to her. But all that is currently in her head, is “Maybe I am”.

Never in a million years will she send that.

_No comment_

_I can hope then ;D  
But yeah, I’ll come down next week. Can I stay at yours?_

_Sure_

Beca’s nervous but with a touch of excitement. Friends or otherwise, it had been way too long since she’d seen her favourite redhead. A favourite redhead who was using up her free week just to visit Beca. The thought makes her a little giddy, but Beca pushes the butterflies aside. Chloe’s always been close, she could just want to see her friend, could just be being nice every time Beca accidentally said more than she meant to.

But Chloe could be lots of things that, however much Beca tries, she can’t not think about. Luckily, it’s about time to make some new mixes. That’s what she decides. Pulling out her laptop, Beca scrolls through endless lists of chart-toppers and club classics. Along with the odd anomaly, songs people know but don’t expect. Yet somehow, they always blend perfectly. That’s what Beca’s good at. Somehow, things that don’t work should when she overlays two melodies. Songs that seem to have no connection suddenly sound better together.

What Beca can do with music, Chloe can do with people. She’s yet to encounter someone who, by the end of a conversation, won’t smile at least once. Making friends out of the most unlikely people is her thing and probably why she’s so good at this childcare thing. It’s the unabashed honesty she has, this self-confidence that allows her to just be herself no matter what. Not arrogant or big-headed, just enough to feel assured that everything she does is fine. Beca really admires that quality in her. Lots of people do. It’s what makes Chloe so magnetic.

And Beca is totally polarized. Has been, for a long time. Otherwise she would never have auditioned. Chloe had walked into her shower and despite mortifying Beca beyond belief, had managed to win her over. Really, she should work in retail with her skills. Beca reckons there aren’t many people who could say no to Chloe Beale- and she’s not sure she’s ever seen Chloe completely try to win someone over either.

Terrifying, really.

Beca finishes up the skeleton for a mix of La Roux, Kelly Rowland and a few other songs that weave in and out. She started listening to _In For The Kill_ and like always, the extra lines and melodies just wove themselves in as the song continued. She can turn it off if she just wants to listen, but mixing comes more naturally to her than things that are supposed to be instinctual to human beings. A sense of self-sufficiency, a functional body clock and social ease are all things that Beca lacks. When she was in high school, she’d wonder if she’d made some kind of unconscious trade. Which sounds lame now, but it was comforting. It made her feel like a superhero, or some questionable protagonist who’d sold her soul in order to save people. Not that her intentions or abilities ever merited such a grand description, or ever will.

It’s people like Chloe who make her believe they could do. Well, really only Chloe. The way that whenever she sees a new mix, she insists on hearing it until Beca gives in. The way her eyes light up as basslines converge, weaving into a new pattern she hasn’t heard yet. And how she taps her foot or a hand, bobs her head. Smiling brightly, taking the headphones off, saying   
“That was amazing!” and meaning it every time.

Beca decides to keep going with her mix. She doesn’t have a show tonight anyway. Besides, the thought of Chloe’s joy at the music she makes is a strong motivator. One that’s encapsulated Beca’s focus, driving her to keep working. She practically qualifies as some form of narcissist by how much gratification she gets from the praise of others. How much she wants to impress them.

How much she wants to impress Chloe.

Beca first looks at the time when it’s 11. She decides to call it a night, because some part of her is begging to fix her sleep cycle. If Chloe’s coming in a week, Beca isn’t going to ignore it.

_Snapchat from chlobealee_

Chloe’s sent a selfie, in her pyjamas. Of course. Her hair is tied back into a messy bun, makeup all gone and a wide smile set across her face. “Night DJ ;)” is the caption. How Chloe is so stunning 24/7 is a mystery that no-one will ever solve. Beca feels too gross to send a selfie in return, even though she hasn’t skipped a shower or anything. It’s probably the solid hours of screening. Quickly, she types out a reply

_Night, Red_

The rest of the week is fairly busy with gigs. The pictures of full clubs go up on her Instagram, which is gaining several followers a day now that Beca’s DJ-ing on the regular. Something which Chloe is quick to pick up on, teasing Beca about her newfound “stardom”. She could have predicted the response, but didn’t. As usual. The number of mixes she’s making are piling up to the point where she has an alarming backlog of tracks she doesn’t even need. She’s never been so productive.

There’s still time for Chloe though. Beca thinks she could probably be the most famous person on the planet and still have time for Chloe. Talking to her is a refreshing break from the club scene. Chloe is happy to talk about baby pandas for an hour if that’s what she feels like. Chloe doesn’t care about how Beca looks, or what her musical opinions are (well not much). It’s always easy to talk to Chloe. Which is ridiculous- talking has never been just easy.

The week goes at snail’s pace, whether Beca wants it to or not. She doesn’t know if she does. But the nights seem to freeze, the amber glow of the faulty streetlight filtering in indefinitely as 3am lasts forever until she falls asleep. Her curtains are collecting dust because she basically never opens them. In fact, Beca does a panic clean two days before Chloe’s arrival. Which is stupid; in two days she can mess up an entire mansion, let alone her modest apartment. The buzz of seeing Chloe again has been slowly infecting her, making her far more energetic in the morning that she’s ever been used to.

Maybe it’s doing other things too. Beca would like to think that this feeling is just occurring randomly, like usual. Regardless, Chloe is arriving tomorrow so this is her last night alone for a week. If she doesn’t do this now, she might wind up regretting it. At first, Beca always feels so awkward touching herself. Until she actually gets into it, and then she forgets about that. Forgets about everything, really.

For some people, playing music could ruin that song for them. Mean they could never listen to it in public again. Despite the fact she can be very tightly wound, Beca isn’t one of those people. Songs are songs and she figures that somewhere in the world, every song in existence must have been masturbated to at least once. So at the end of the day, she won’t be ruining any of these tracks as she puts her playlist on shuffle. It’s just called “playlist 2”, so no-one will ever know its purpose. Which is good, because Beca doesn’t want to admit to having what is essentially a sex playlist, only worse.

The post-high leaves her pleasantly sleepy, meaning she won’t stay awake worrying about tomorrow. It was definitely a good idea to do this now.

Chloe isn’t arriving until about 5pm, so Beca still has the entire day to panic on the downlow. Chloe sent her a setting off selfie, in which she proudly flaunted her shades (they are pretty cute, it’s hard to deny), stating “Ready for Florida!” with enthusiasm that’s surprisingly obvious, for a typed message. It could be that Beca knows Chloe that well that she can tell.

It seems like the day has been five times as long by the time Beca hears a knock on her door at 4:57pm (not that she’s been checking the clock constantly since quarter to or anything). She scurries to open it. The word “hi” is barely forming, the shape of the “h” not fully formed on her lips when a redheaded bundle of smiles jumps into her, wrapping her in a tight (but not uncomfortable) hug  
“Hi” Beca ends up laughing the word as the force of Chloe’s embrace makes her stumble backwards. She barely even noticed that she hit her leg on the corner of the weird shoe rack she doesn’t remember ever buying.   
“Beca!” Chloe’s voice is high pitched, almost gleeful in quality, “Oh my god do you know how long it’s been?” she finally lets go, stepping back to look at her. It’s as if she expects that Miami will have made Beca look different somehow. To be fair, Beca expected to have more of a tan by now. Chloe is still more sun kissed than her, small freckles like pretty paint flecks on her face  
“Yeah” Beca smiles. The hug left her somewhat breathless, “Get in here Beale” she grins, grabbing Chloe’s bag for her. Quickly, Chloe takes it off a struggling Beca  
“Do you ever exercise?” she asks as she follows Beca into the kitchen  
“It’s not a priority” Beca shrugs, “You want a coffee or anything?”  
“Just some water would be great thanks” Chloe smiles, looking around. She’s never really seen Beca’s apartment, not even in pictures. It’s fairly small but also quite nice, with reasonable furniture and surfaces.   
“Pretty nice place” Chloe comments, “Which reminds me, I want to see your room!”

They talk about the drive down, which was mostly uneventful and fairly pleasant for Chloe.  
“So, do you wanna go out for dinner?” she asks   
“That was actually my plan, I don’t much feel like cooking” Beca laughs  
“Do you ever?” Chloe asks teasingly, her eyes twinkling  
“Hey!” she hits her playfully, “I totally cook”  
“Right” Chloe’s still smirking. Beca’s definition of cooking is putting something in the oven until it’s done, or boiling water for noodles. Occasionally she might fry up some bacon. It’s not that she can’t cook, she just doesn’t. Chloe enjoys cooking; it goes hand and hand with her being health-conscious. In college, she’d try to convince Beca to join her in doing a juice cleanse (Beca never caved to that request actually. She’s impressed with herself for that)

They end up hitting a local place that Beca’s been to a few times. The décor is a hipster kind of rustic, with mellow lighting and lots of block wood. The food is served on slate or boards. Still, Beca loves it. All the waiters wear plaid shirts, the food is pretty decent and it isn’t too pricy. Chloe immediately falls in love too, fawning over the flowers that are simultaneously out of place yet fit the style perfectly. Beca makes Chloe order the house classic: a burger with the best trimmings, in a brioche bun. They while away the time before their food arrived exchanging tales from their lives since they had last seen each other. The service was quick, so they didn’t have all that long before their food arrived. Not that it mattered. Beca could talk to Chloe for three days and not run out of things to say. Talking to Chloe’s easy.

Even if Beca really wants to lean across the table and kiss her.

She hopes Chloe can’t tell, but also wants her to know. Having Chloe know and make the decision would be so, _so_ much easier. But life doesn’t work that way. She’ll just have to accept that she’s a little in love with her best friend. Ultimately, she’ll survive.

At least, she thought she would until they got home and Chloe decided to get tipsy. A sober Chloe is still more hands on than most drunk people; a tipsy Chloe is like having a puppy. Only very attractive and ginger.  
“Do you know how great you are?” she asks, arms draped over Beca  
“Uh-huh” at this point, it’s easiest to just go along with it. Though Beca is still unsure as to exactly how Chloe has so much faith in her  
“All those people in the club must love you. You’re a DJ and you’re attractive” Chloe pronounces. Beca blushes, but Chloe doesn’t notice. “So”, she continues, “You hooked up with anyone yet?”  
“Yeah” Beca answers reluctantly, “Just a few girls. As a one-time thing. Not like dating or anything. Just sex”  
“Great!” Chloe’s enthusiasm is something Beca can’t quite place, “They’re so lucky” her words are steadily becoming more slurred, but Beca can still make out the emotions in Chloe’s voice. She’s doing everything she can to convince herself that Chloe isn’t insinuating she wants to get with her, because if she lets herself believe that then she’ll only get hurt. There’s no way Chloe wants that: why would she? Chloe could probably have anyone she wanted  
“Let’s get to bed” Beca says decisively, “Come on, Chlo”

Chloe drops off the moment she gets into Beca’s double bed. But Beca lies awake for a while, mulling things over in her head. An ongoing debate of reasons why Chloe Beale does or doesn’t see her that way. The argument is endless, each side repeating the same few points beyond exhaustion. Beca knows it’s fruitless, that she isn’t going to get anywhere other than further falling for Chloe. But her attempts to stop the disagreement are feeble. So, when she does eventually fall asleep, her brain is still undecided.

Chloe remembers every second of her first night in Miami, despite her alcohol intake. Knows too, that she meant every word. The way Beca looks at her in the morning lets Chloe know all that she needs to. The problem is, the step from mutual attraction to actually doing something about it is pretty big. Then there’s the fact Beca is trying to convince herself she’s imagining the signs, to avoid getting hurt. Which is something Chloe understands, but god it is _frustrating_. Beca is so amazing to Chloe and it’s pretty obvious that the brunette has no idea that her hair is only the start of Chloe’s admiration for her.

Beca Mitchell was a social outcast with a tense family situation growing up. She has so much fight despite everything, is ready to take the world by the teeth and own it. But she’s still so humble and kind. Chloe can practically see Beca’s musical talent it’s so great in quantity, but Beca genuinely believes she isn’t destined to be a star. How she can’t see it is beyond Chloe, but it also draws her to the girl. Whatever Beca projects at the world, she sees other people’s talents, even if she doesn’t like them she’ll be the first to admit someone’s good at something. She can pick out potential that no-one else sees, the same way her mixes seem to be unlike anyone else’s; she’s terrifyingly observant.

And sometimes, pretty blind too.

She’s making coffee in the kitchen, when Chloe wanders down   
“Morning” she stretches her arms above her head  
“Oh, hey” Beca says over her shoulder, “I was gonna bring you this in bed, but you’re up now I guess”  
“I’m the morning person” Chloe shrugs, draping herself over Beca’s shoulders to inspect the coffee machine, “Nice” she taps it gently. One of those Chloe quirks that makes Beca feel like her insides are melting. Other than the fact that the liquefying of her internal organs would probably be painful and not as pleasant as this warmth that’s settled determinedly in her ribcage.

She takes Chloe on a proper trip around Miami- or at least the bit where she lives. Which is mostly touristy beach shops and stretches of, unsurprisingly, beach. All of which Beca has seen many times already, but Chloe fawns over like a small child. Beca has to stop her buying fridge magnets from every tacky shop they pass. Eventually, they get snow cones and sit on the boardwalk, overlooking where the sea meanders up onto the shore. The ocean is calmer than usual, the waves practically non-existent.   
“You’re so lucky, living by all this” Chloe muses over her coconut, strawberry and blue raspberry snow cone  
“I guess” Beca shrugs, “I’m sort of used to it already. And the sand gets everywhere, it’s not all that really”  
“I’ve always wanted to go for a picnic on the beach”  
“You haven’t?” Beca asks, “I mean this is pretty close”  
“I mean like a _date_ picnic” Chloe emphasises. Beca can feel her cheeks glowing. The warmth on her face is yet another obvious sign that Chloe can probably see.   
“Oh” is all she manages to say. Chloe looks at her as if she’s going to say something, but instead just steals some of Beca’s lemon, apple and orange snow cone.  
“Hey!” Beca hits Chloe on the shoulder  
“You can have some of mine” Chloe offers hers to Beca, who takes a small amount  
“Genius on the coconut Chlo” Beca says as the taste hits her  
“I think it’s underrated as a flavour”

Only Chloe would get passionate about snow cone flavours. Another reason for Beca to love her. They’re piling up higher than the empire state building, countless little traits and quirks that catch her attention.

She’d nearly asked Beca. Offered to take her on a beach date. But somehow, the moment just vanished, even though Beca’s blush lingered for quite some time. Chloe wishes she’d said something later, when they’re doing more exploring. She’s not even sure why she didn’t. It’s too late now, but Chloe’s swearing one thing: the next moment that arrives, she’s taking the opportunity.

The calm of the day had been preceding a storm, one that rolls in around 2am. The rain hits the window harshly but the thunder makes it seem quiet. At the first rumble, Beca jumps  
“Storms still bother you?”   
“Yeah, kinda” Beca admits sheepishly, curling up a little tighter in her bed   
“Shall I put on some music?” Chloe asks quietly  
“Sure” She sounds casual, but she’d love some music. Knowing exactly what kind of music Beca needs, Chloe finds “Seaside” by the Kooks. It’s calming, but loud enough to wash out the sounds of the storm. Beca smiles as she recognises it  
“Seaside, really?” she laughs a little. It’s not a definite quality of storms that Beca hates, that scares her. Not something she can place. But this is making it lesser, whatever it is.   
“Love the beach” Chloe grins, moving closer to Beca. The latter is thankful for the contact. Okay, her body is basically cradled in Chloe’s and she has to chide herself at using the excuse, but it’s genuinely soothing too. Chloe is warm, her breathing a slow pace Beca can focus on   
“What _do_ you do when I’m not here?”  
“Go on youtube for several hours, make myself into a blanket burrito” Beca answers  
“Sounds good”  
“This is better”

Now isn’t the time, so instead they fall asleep to “Seaside” on repeat.

 _Do you want to go to the seaside?_  
I'm not trying to say that everybody wants to go  
But I fell in love on the seaside  
On the seaside  
In the seaside

Beca wakes up, feeling more well-rested than she can remember being for a long time. Chloe is already up- Beca can’t feel her presence beside her. She’d like to wake up next to Chloe like that.

Chloe’s in the kitchen, eating the fruit and yoghurt she bought. Beca lives off cereal and today is no different; she pulls out her box of cheerios under an eye-roll from Chloe.  
“Sleep okay?” She asks  
“Yeah fine” Beca says while she pours the milk on, “Thank you, by the way”  
“It’s nothing” Chloe immediately replies. To her, it really isn’t.

The week passes with alarming speed and before Beca knows it, it’s two days until Chloe leaves. And a new fear is taking over, different to the worry of Chloe finding out about her stupid crush. Beca is scared of losing Chloe. It isn’t like they’ll stop being friends after this, but she wonders if Chloe knows how special she is to Beca. Hopes that she does, because there’s no way she’ll ever be able to communicate it.

“You know, this week has been amazing” Chloe says. She and Beca are just in Beca’s bedroom, not doing much of anything. It’s late, but before midnight  
“Yeah” Beca says. There’s so much more she’s itching to say. The words could practically jump out her mouth on their own, but she isn’t going to let them  
“I didn’t realise how much I missed having you in my life” Chloe’s put her book down now. Instead, she stares intently at Beca. Who is in fact more mysterious and lovely than whatever metaphor she was reading just a few minutes before.  
“Me neither” She can’t make eye contact with Chloe. Not quite. But the screen of Beca’s laptop is forgotten nonetheless, “I’m gonna miss you, Chlo”  
“Me too” Chloe hums. She’s about to say something she’d been deliberating over for a while, but then Beca blurts  
“I don’t think I’ve ever been this close to anyone before” and it takes Chloe so much by surprise that she can’t reply. Simply stares at Beca, waiting for more  
“Well I mean, I just… you’re really important to me” Beca mumbles, fiddling at the duvet with her left hand  
“You mean a lot to me too, Becs” Chloe takes Beca’s worrying hand and holds it still, causing Beca to look up in surprise. Once she’s started to look at Chloe, she can’t stop. It’s an instinct to break eye contact, but Beca can’t and doesn’t want to. Right now, the phrase “my legs rooted to the ground” would be pretty accurate but in a more figurative way.  
“Good, I…” the sentence won’t finish itself and Beca can’t create the words she needs, “Can you give me a minute? I just need to work out some words”  
“Of course” Chloe says gently. She hasn’t moved her hand, and her thumb strokes soothingly over the back of Beca’s hand. A while of silence passes, with Beca nervously tapping and biting at her lip. Chloe watches on patiently.  
“Okay, so” Beca takes a deep breath, “I, uh, like you”. Chloe quirks an eyebrow inquisitively  
“You know,” Beca continues hurriedly, like getting it all out at once will make it less terrifying. For her, it just might, “More than how friends like eachother”  
“Okay” Chloe smiles, “I kind of guessed actually”  
“Right” Beca swallows. She doesn’t have anything to say. There’s a numb pounding in her brain that’s taking over all the fibres of her existence. All there is to do is wait for Chloe to speak.

Chloe doesn’t say anything. She simply pulls Beca into a hug. Not the overexcited hugs that are reminiscent of a puppy dog. Those are fairly usual for Chloe. She holds Beca gently, the way she did during the storm. Feels her pulse race just like then. Beca is somewhat taken aback, but not unhappy. She worked herself up a lot over this and Chloe’s embrace is comforting. She breathes slowly, feels her heart start to hammer less and less. The fear that she will drift apart from Chloe is fading too, bit by bit until she’s barely aware of it. When Chloe can feel that Beca is calm, she lets go and looks straight into her eyes  
“So, what do you want to do about it?”  
“I…” Beca hadn’t really considered this. There are so many different ways to want more than friendship and she isn’t quite sure which this one is yet, “Well, could…” Beca drifts off the sentence, ends up uselessly gesturing as usual. Whenever she’d had one-night-stands with people, they’d been surprised (and usually endeared) to learn how unassuming and awkward the badass cool DJ Mitchell really was.  
“Hey” Chloe smiles encouragingly, “We can do whatever you want. Honestly, just go ahead”

The next morning, Beca wakes up feeling comfortable. Not on a physical, but a feeling of contentment so deep she’s a little afraid of it at first. She can remember everything, to the degree where she knows exactly where on her neck she’s going to need to apply concealer if she wants to go out today at all. So it’s also no surprise that she isn’t wearing anything. Lifting her head as far as she can, Beca glimpses two sets of pyjamas on her floor. She can’t help it; she _smirks_.

To top it all, she’s woken up next to Chloe.

It doesn’t feel fair to leave for the kitchen without waking her first. Beca gently kisses Chloe on the cheek  
“Morning” Chloe groans sleepily  
“I’m gonna go make coffee” Beca says quietly  
“Okay” Chloe smiles up at her. She manages to lift her head enough to give Beca a quick kiss before the latter leaves, slinging on a purple dressing gown as she does.

Beca’s coffee making is interrupted, yet again, by Chloe’s appearance in the kitchen. This time, she’s unaware of her presence until Chloe is right behind her and pressing small kisses to her jawline  
“Hi there” Beca laughs a little as Chloe wraps herself around her  
“Hello” The smile is audible even if Beca can’t see it. She detaches herself from Chloe to give her a coffee, and to sip her own. The silence is peaceful and not awkward. Beca didn’t think comfortable silence could exist. Then again, her preconceptions have a habit of turning out wrong.

Her stuttering question, if Chloe would be happy to try a relationship, is met with smiles and more kisses. They drown out Beca’s pre-emptive monologue about how obviously the distance might be difficult but she thinks they can do it, and that Chloe is worth trying for. Given a gap, Beca tries to keep going but Chloe laughs and kisses her again. Her way of saying that she knows and that it’s just fine. Beca smiles a little. Her heart is still racing from how nervous she was, but it feels nice now. Like her body has come alive and not in the same way it had the night before.

Well, not quite the same.


End file.
